Table of Contents
Android development is a crucial component of any custom mobile or responsive web application project. As of 2020, there were 129 million android phone users in the United States alone.
However, there are a lot of challenges when it comes to Android development, and a lot of common pitfalls that can easily roadblock the project or lead to a less than satisfactory end product.
Below, we’ll talk about some of the most common mistakes made in developing for the Android platform and how to avoid them.
1. Using iOS Design Habits
Android is a completely different operating system than iOS. This is something every developer knows and understands, but it’s all too often that developers mistakenly follow standards that only apply to the Apple operating system.
These mistakes are especially common when an iOS application is being ported over to Android platforms.
Here are the most common errors:
- System notifications shouldn’t be colored in Android apps.
- Don’t use splash screens outside of the initial setup/introduction.
- Don’t place application icons inside a rounded rectangle.
- Don’t put carets in your lists.
- Don’t make static tabs, and definitely don’t put them along the bottom.
2. Not Using Intents
It’s actually pretty common for developers to forget to use intents when developing for Android.
Intents are basically a method for Android apps to pass information between different parts of the applications, and they’re one of Android’s key components.
Not only do they serve to pass information within an application, but they can also pass information between entirely different apps on the device. For instance, a gallery application that can share download links to images via SMS.
Using intents makes your android application better all around.
3. Not Developing for Multiple Devices
One of the things that makes Android so popular as an operating system is that it is used on a wide variety of different phones. Unlike iOS, which can only be used on iPhones, Android can be found on more than 24,000 different devices, including phones, tablets, gaming hardware, etc.
This variety also makes Android development a lot more difficult, because it’s all too easy to have a specific device in mind during development instead of making the application work across a multitude of them.
Here are a couple of things to think about to maintain functionality across devices:
- Different devices use screens with different pixel density and orientations. Compensate for this by using density independent pixels (dp) instead of normal pixels (px).
- Include resources multiple times to account for different densities and orientations.
- 9-patch drawables are stretched to fit the screen size.
4. Not Utilizing Fragments
Fragments are a feature of Android applications that are basically tiny, very complex building blocks inside of an Activity. Their purpose is to basically help with optimization across various screens, and they can be combined, positioned, and reused at will. They’re just all around incredibly helpful.
Neglecting the use of fragments is basically throwing away flexibility for your application, and making the optimization more complicated than it needs to be.
5. Blocking up the Main Thread
The main thread is what keeps the interface of an application snappy and responsive. Blocking it up with unnecessary functions can slow down the app’s performance and lead to a lot of user frustration.
Instead, be sure to use worker and background threads for things like bitmap loading, image processing, database querying, SD reading/writing, and network calls.
Asahi Technologies is a company built around experience in all forms of custom application development.. We have the expertise, the experience, and the skills to tackle any project with the utmost confidence in our ability to deliver successfully.
If you’re looking for the best app development team in NYC to handle your Android application development, please contact us today for a free consultation.
Stay ahead of the game with our helpful resources
4 digital solutions to address common application performance issues
High network latency, memory leaks, slow page loads, heavy CPU usage, and unresponsive servers are all typical performance issues we’ve experienced at some point when using or accessing digital applications. With how easy they occur in projects across verticals, you might be wondering whether the development teams behind these programs have done enough due diligence prior to the release. But human errors and oversight aren’t always the culprit. The reality is that while developers can strive to develop a fully functioning program with virtually no apparent faults upon delivery, no software is truly error-free. Even the most rigorously tested applications
6 useful tips for creating more robust application lifecycle management
As digital technology becomes the norm, software acquisition is now key to gaining a competitive edge in today’s market. Be it as a value offering tailored to consumers or a productivity tool to run complex processes, custom software undeniably helps companies drive growth and deliver value more efficiently. Just as necessary as having a proprietary application is prescribing a standard procedure to govern and maintain its utility. This is to ensure that your business can develop or adopt the right type of software—one that can fully cater to your business needs while keeping disruption to a minimum across critical milestones.
5 major roadblocks businesses must overcome when transitioning into a new software environment
As the business landscape becomes increasingly saturated, staying ahead of the curve often means embracing disruptive technologies to meet the fickle market demands. In most cases, this entails knowing when to pivot your current strategy to an entirely new solution. But recognizing the importance of digital shift is one thing; implementing the necessary IT upgrade is another. A global survey by Deloitte has found that although 87% of companies manage to identify the impact of digital trends on their industries, only 44% have adequately prepared for the coming disruptions. This vast disconnect between organizational expectations and conditions in the field
Is cloud computing the answer to better software development?
Cloud computing is perhaps not a term often heard in daily conversations, but it is one with a far-reaching impact on our technological needs. From expansive options of online data storage to numerous suites of web-based productivity tools like Google Workspace, nearly everyone has used a cloud-enabled technology. Over the last decade, this high degree of versatility also underpins the rapid cloud uptake among businesses. In fact, one survey has found that 94% of companies have already shifted their computing workloads on cloud platforms to varying extents. Unsurprisingly, the market size for cloud technology continues to grow exponentially. With a
Sindhu
Client Success Manager
Sindhu is a tenacious and impassioned digital product and project manager specializing in driving client success across complex healthcare technology implementations and integrations. She is a certified Agile Scrum Master and holds advanced degrees in computer science and software engineering. Her philosophy is that “work is where the heart is” and believes the key to success is creating a solid, supportive, and cohesive team.
